Corn-planter.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

C. R. DAVIS. CORN PLANI'BR. APPLICATION FILED $31 124, 1906.

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INVENTOR Atlorney WITNESSES THE NORRIS PETERS co., wAsumarou, o. c.

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-m ET VN A DvTu .P RM 0 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALVIN R. DAVIS, CF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO OLIVER GHILLED PLOWWORKS,

' OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

CORN-PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 19.07.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CALVIN R. DAVIS, a resident of South Bend, in thecounty of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in corn planters, the object of theinvention being to provide an improved planter arranged to plant threerows simultaneously and has reference more particularly to a planterwhich opens the seed receiving furrows by means of obliquely arrangeddisks attached to the drag bars in advance of the seed s outs withcovering wheels following the dis s.

A further object is to provide improved means for depressing and liftingthe drag bars, their disks and covering wheels and provide compressionsprings for holding the disks and covering wheels in yielding contactwith the ground and provide an adjusting :nut for each spring toregulate the tension thereof, said springs allowing the disks to riseand fall as the machine travels over uneven ground and for that reasonenable the seed to be planted at a more uniform depth. A further objectis to provide aplanter constructed of as few parts as possible and atthe same time so that it shall be strong and durable, simple inoperation and of light draft.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a view in section through the disks. Fig. 3 isan enlarged view of one planter unit, and Figs. 1 and 5 are views ofdetails of construction.

1 represents the main frame of the planter comprising a single bar bentinto rectangular form and the ends connected at the rear of the machineby bars 2 as shown. is provided with bearings supported on axle 3 andthe latter mounted on wheels 4, one of which latter is loose on the axleand the This frame other secured thereto, for rotating the same as themachine moves over the ground.

Pole irons 5 extend across the frame 1, are bolted to brackets 6 on thefront and rear cross bars thereof and converging at their forward ends,are bolted to the tongue 7. Brace bars 8 are also secured to the frontbar of the frame 1 and to the tongue 7.

9 represents three seed receptacles, the two outside ones being suported on bracket arms 10 secured to the side friars of frame 1 and thecentral seed receptacle is supported on a bracket or yoke 11 secured topole irons 5. The seed droppers of feeding mechanisms for thereceptacles discharge into boots 12, and are all operated by a singleshaft 13 driven by axle 3, the latter being connected therewith by asprocket chain 14, passing over sprocket wheels 15 and 16 on shaft 13and axle 3 res ectively, and a clutch 17 connects sproc ret wheel 16with axle 3. A pivoted lever 18 is o erated when the planting mechanismsare e evated, to move the clutch 17 and stop the feed, as will morefully hereinafter appear.

Drag bar hangers 19 are secured to the front bar of frame 1, and thisbar of the frame is made with a series of bolt openings for the outsidehangers to permit the plant ing mechanisms to be moved inward or outwardfrom the center to vary the width of the rows planted. Drag bars 20 arepivot ally secured to the hangers 19 by bolts 21 and are securely boltednear their rear ends to the boots 12. In advance of the boots, conicalbearings are provided for disks 22 disposed at an angle to open a furrowfor the seed. Covering wheel drag bars 23 are pivotally connected attheir front ends to the rear ends of drag bars 20 and are of forkedformation with covering wheels 24 mounted therein on tubular spindles 2425 represents a horizontal square shaft supported at the ends inrearwardly extending arms or brackets 26 on frame 1 and at its center bya bearing on the toothed sector 27 also secured to the frame. Anoperating lever 28 is secured on this shaft 25 and carries a springdetent 28 to lock in the sector brackets 31 straddling follower Wheels24* and said brackets are secured to 23 by bolts 31 extending throughtubular spindles 24 Coiled springs 32 are located on rods 30 below arms29 and adjusting nuts 33 are located on the rods 30 to adjust thetension of the springs and set screw collars 34 are secured on rods 30above arms 29.

Spring rods 30 similar to the spring rods 30 above described areconnected at their lower ends to brackets 30 on boots 12, and at theirupper ends said rods 30 project through openings in the ends of arms 29.Springs 32 are located. on the rods 30 below the arms and collars 34 aresecured to said rods above the arms 29 the same as the above describedspring rods.

When the shaft 25 is turned by the lifting lever in one direction, therods 30 and 30 and all the planting mechanisms will be elevated from theground and when the shaft 25 is turned in the opposite direction, theplanting mechanisms will be lowered and by forcing the shaft further inthis direction the springs 32 will be compressed to exert a greaterdownward spring pressure on the planting mechanisms A cone collar 35 issecured on shaft 25 adjacent to lever 18, so that when shaft 25 isturned to elevate the lifting mechanism, clutch 17 will be thrown tostop the feeding mechanisms, and when the planting mechanisms are againlowered, the clutch will be thrown to start the feeding mechanisms Anupwardly and rearwardly projecting spring seat bar 36 is secured to therear bar of frame 1 and is made with a series of openings to receive, inany of them, the bolt securing seat 37 thereto, and permit the seat tobe moved forward or rearward on the bar to better adjust the weight ofthe driver to the machine,

By adjusting the drag bar hangers 19 on frame 1 and the arms 29 on shaft25 the outer mechanisms can be moved toward or away from the centralmechanism to decrease or increase the distance between the rows.

A lifting spring 28 is connected at its rear end to a depending arm 29on shaft 25 and at its front end to the front bar of frame 1 by atension bolt 40, and the tension of this spring assists the operator inmoving the lever to elevate the planting mechanisms and counterbalancesthe weight thereof.

It will be seen that the covering wheels 24 can rise and fallindependent of its disks and vice versa and all of the plantingmechanisms may accommodate themselves to the contour of the groundwithout regard to the others.

A great many slight changes might be made in the general form andarrangement of the parts described without de arting from my inventionand hence I wou d have it understood that I do not restrict myself tothe precise details set forth but consider drag bars myself at libertyto make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within thespirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters- Patent, is

1. In a planter, the combination with a frame, of a series of rearwardlyprojecting drag bars secured to the frame, furrow opening disks securedto the drag bars, follower wheels, drag bars for the follower wheelspivotallysecuredto the rear ends of the first mentioned drag bars, ashaft, a lever to move the same, arms on the shaft, yokes on thefollower wheel drag bars, rods on said yokes and on the first mentioneddrag bars proj ecting through holes in the arms, springs on the rodsbelow the arms, means for adjusting the tension of said springs, collarson the rods above the arms, and a counterbalance spring tending to turnthe shaft to lift the drag bars and parts connected therewith.

2. In a planter, the combination with a frame, of a drag bar securedthereto, furrow opening disks secured to the drag bar, a follower wheeldrag bar pivotally secured to the rear end of the firstmentioned dragbar, a follower wheel connected with its drag bar, a fork straddling thefollower wheel and secured to its drag bar, arod secured to said fork, ashaft, a crank arm thereon having an opening to receive the rod, acoiled spring on the rod, an adjusting nut on the rod at the lower endof the spring to adjust the tension of the latter, a collar secured onthe rod above the arm, and a lever to turn the shaft to raise and lowerthe drag bars and vary the spring pressure thereon.

3. In a corn planter, the combination with a frame, a series of hangersat the front thereof, drag bars pivotally secured to the hangers andextending rearward below the frame, and furrow opening disks secured tothe drag bars, of follower wheel drag bars pivotally secured to the rearends of the firstmentioned drag bars, follower wheels connected with thelast mentioned drag bars, forks secured to the last-mentioned drag barsand straddling the follower wheels, upwardly projecting spring rods onthe forks, a shaft, crank arms thereon connected with the spring rods, adepending crank arm on the shaft, a lifting spring connecting thedepending crank arm with the front of the planter frame, a lever to turnthe shaft, a toothed sector on the frame, and a spring pressed detent toengage the sector and lock the lever.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

CALVIN R. DAVIS.

IVitnesses J. C. SoHULTzER, P. A. HUNZINGER.

